Thomas h



(No Model.)

T. H. BOLMER.

UTILIZING GASEOUS EXPLOSIONS AS A MOTIVE FORGE.

Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

INVENTOR ITNESS ATTORNEYS.

N4 PETERS, Pholvlinm wmn Washingiofl. 04 c.

UNITE STATES EEIcE.

PATENT THOMAS H. BOLMER, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,6'7, dated IVIarch20, 1888.

Applicati n filed June 1, 1887.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tnonas H. BOLMER, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in UtilizingGaseous Explosions as a Motive Force, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention, which is applicable to the propulsion o1"vcssels,imparting driv ing-power to wheels or motors of various kinds,and to pumping and other purposes. relates to apparatus in which gaseousexplosions in a. close chamber having a suitable outlet or outlets areutilized to obtain the motive force. any suit able simple or compoundgas being used, in eluding various explosive compounds, either gaseous,liquid, or solid, and any suitable means being employed for igniting orexploding the same, including both electrical means and a gas or otherdame. Electrical appliances, however, are preferred.

The invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts or devicesin an apparatus of this description, substantially as hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

For the purpose of illustration the invention here will be described asadapted to propel ling vessels by, as in other apparatuses operating bygaseous explosions, causing the gas to act upon water within a tubearranged below the water-level and open at its end or ends to thesurrounding body of water for the purpose of obtaining the necessaryresistance whereby to propel the vessel. I will also describe, lorconvenience sake, the using of two gases in separate receptaclesas,fol-instance, hydrogen and oxygen or hydrogen and atmospheric airthatrequire to be mixed or brought together before the same can be ignitedto produce the explosion.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of an apparatusembodying my invention, and Fig. 2 a plan of the same.

A is the explosioirehainber, and B B pipes or tubes countered therewithon opposite sides and designed to extend, respectively, the one throughor near the stern of a floating vessel and the other through or towardthe bow end Serial No. 239,950.

(X0 model.)

thereof. These tubes, which are open at their ends, are both arrangedbelow the water line or level of the vessel.

0 O are the separate gas tanks, connected with the chamber A by separatepipes 12 1), controlled by cocks or valves 0 c. The tubes B B are eachfitted with a weighted or selt' closing valve, D D, arranged so that theone valve closes toward the chamber A and the other valve opens towardit. By this arrangement, and supposing the valves D l) to open,respectively, in the directions indicated in the drawingsqvhen anexplosion of the gas or gases takes place in the chamber A, water whichentered by the pipe B will be expelled through the pipe B the valve Dthen opening and the valve D closing by the pressure of the exploded gasto prevent egress through it. This will cause the vessel to be propelledin a reverse direction to that indicated by the arrows :c x.Immediately, however, after theimpulsc has been given to the water in orthrough the pipe B a reaction takes place by the formation of a vacuumor partial vacuum as caused by the spent gas or gases in the chamber A.This will cause the valve D to close and prevent the return of waterthrough it, and the other valve, D, to open, which will producea suckingaction on the water in the pipe B, that will aid in the propulsion ofthe vessel and serve to resupply the chamber A and inner portion of thetube B with water for another and subsequent explosion oi the gas orgases in the chamber A, the several explosions being intermittent and atsuitable intervals apart.

The valves D D are arranged within rotatable plugs e 6, having atransverse passage through them, and situated within cases or boxes f f,that couple divided sections of the tubes B B, so that upon turningthese plugs e 0 half round the valves D D will have a reverse openingand closing action relatively to the chamber A, for the purpose ofreversing the motion of the vessel, by converting the tube B into aninlet one for the water and the tube B into an outlet or discharge one.Said plugs e 0 may be thus operated as required by means of a slidingrack, g, actuated by a lever, s, and pinions or partialfpinions h h,fast to the plugs and gearing with said rack.

The cocks or valves 0 c, which shut off and open the supply of gasintermittently to the chamber A, are geared togetheras, for instance, bytoothed sections 13 'it|O both open and both close simultaneously, so asto furnish the necessary intermittent supply of both gasesthat is, whentwo gases are used to produce the explosion. These valves 0 0 may beoperated by hand or automatically by any suitable power.

G is a dynamo or electric battery for exploding the gas or gases in. thechamber A by a spark emitted between the two poles k k upon thecircuitbeing closed by a switch, I, applied to one of the two wires m m.This switch is conneeted-as, for instance, by a rod, n-with one of thecoupled valves 0 a, so that as said valves are opened to supply thechamber A with gas the switch will be operated and the circuit be openedor broken, and as said valves are closed the switch will also be closedand the circuit be made to ignite the gases in the chamber A. Thechamber A may be of any suitable height.

Of course different means may be used for charging the chamber A withthe exploding gas or gaseous compound and for igniting the same, ashereinbefore remarked.

To illustrate one of the many other purposes to which the invention maybe applied, sup posing the apparatus to be constructed as shown, it may,for instance, be used to advantage for pumping purposes and will operateboth as a suction and force pump.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

ment to act either as inlet or outlet valves of said liquid, essentiallyas herein set forth.

2. The combination, with the explosionohamber A, of the tubes BB,connected therewith on reverse sides of said chamber, and thereversely-operating valves D D, capable of adjustment to act either asinlet or outlet valves, substantially as specified.

THOMAS H. BOLMER.

Witnesses:

A. GREGORY, G. SEDGWIOK.

